3 Winners and 1 Surprising Loser on Today's Dow

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) sits near breakeven as of 1:50 p.m. EDT, up 8.4 points, or 0.06%. The mild bounce puts an end to several days of headlong drops which caused the widely watched index to lose 1.8% of it value in a week.

A strong economic indicator certainly helped: Today's jobless-claims report showed the fewest unemployment filings in the last four years. More jobs means more consumer spending, which keeps the financial wheels rolling around. None of this very recent improvement will show up in the earnings season that's swinging into action right now, but long-term investors can move markets, too.

But it's not all wine and roses. Perennial winner Walt Disney (NYS: DIS) notched a 1.6% plunge as Stan Lee Media filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against the company. Stan Lee Media claims to own the copyrights to many of the Marvel characters that are raking in the dough for Disney nowadays. Grab some popcorn and stay tuned, because this case looks entertaining.

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